Former Arsenal and England defender Martin Keown returned to answer YOUR questions on the big talking points in football.

Arsenal lost 2-0 in their Champions League last-16 tie against Barcelona at home and Arsene Wenger admits his team have only a five per cent chance of qualifying for the quarter-finals.

The Gunners boss also described his team as 'naive' as they conceded twice in the second half.

This week will also see Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool go up against Manuel Pellegrini's Manchester City as they bid for their first silverware under the German in the Capital One Cup final.

That is just a flavour of the football world this week, but there was plenty more to discuss too.

See below to check out Martin's answers to all of your questions.

Martin Keown

Host commentator

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14:11

What sort of reception do you think Big Sam will get on his return to the Boleyn?

The fans play such a big part at Upton Park and if they hate you – or even love to hate you – they’re not going to change their minds in a hurry. I know from experience!

Big Sam did a lot for West Ham, but by the end the fans were far from happy. People wanted the ‘West Ham way’, but Sam’s style is more direct and it’s probably the reason he has never really gotten the credit he deserves.

He could be sat with his feet up on a beach somewhere right now, but he’s rolled up his sleeves and put his reputation on the line by taking charge of Sunderland while they were in the bottom three. I have no doubt he’ll get some stick this weekend, but he’s certainly big enough to take it! He’s never been short of confidence, and with his side turning up at Upton Park having beaten Manchester United in their last game, it’ll be interesting to see the crowd’s reaction if they win again.

Sunderland manager Sam Allardyce is returning to his old stomping ground to face West Ham

14:01

Are you enjoying Manchester United’s plight this season, Martin?!

Everyone got carried away with United’s comprehensive victory against Shrewsbury in the FA Cup, but in truth the League One side were poor and the way the victory was greeted just shows how far things have slipped under Louis van Gaal.

They were embarrassed against Midtjylland last week, and it will be interesting to see how the home crowd respond tonight. Old Trafford is used to big European nights, and it’s fair to say matches like this were not what the fans thought was on the menu. They are disgruntled enough already this season, and second-rate European competition is hardly going to lift them.

It’s at times like this when they’ll be desperate for everyone at the club to pull together and turn around their season, but outsiders will be fascinated to see what can go wrong next! I know a lot of Arsenal fans who hope they keep hold of Van Gaal…

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal pictured this week at a press conference

13:52

Will Tottenham’s FA Cup exit affect their title challenge?

I think Tottenham were very unlucky to lose against Crystal Palace on Sunday – the away goal really led a charmed life – but going out of the FA Cup might help their title charge.

There’s always an argument to say cup competitions are a hindrance to your league form, and now that the Europa League has started up again it could be affected massively. They closed the gap on Arsenal, Leicester and City over the winter while they weren’t playing in Europe, and now we will see how Mauricio Pochettino’s side can cope with the extra games again.

Another factor to contend with will be the loss of Mousa Dembele to injury. They were in fantastic form before losing to Palace, and I think a lot of this was down to Pochettino naming essentially the same team week in, week out – it’s nice to look around and see the same faces every game, but now Dembele will be missing from the midfield.

The Belgian is a very good footballer – his pace, vision and strength make for a very potent mix and he's virtually impossible to knock off the ball.

Having said that, they have a lot of strength in depth in midfield this season, with many good players waiting in the wings, so I fancy them to deal with his absence well. These are good times for Spurs.

Do you think Arsenal wasted their opportunities in front of goal against Barcelona?

Let’s remember that Arsenal lost to a team trying to win back-to-back Champions League trophies, and who would bet against them? It’s obviously something Arsenal would like to aspire to, but you need the players to do so. Who would Luis Enrique take out of Arsenal’s starting XI? Probably Petr Cech. Possibly Hector Bellerin, who matched Neymar for pace. And possibly Laurent Koscielny, as I still think Gerard Pique and Javier Mascherano look like midfielders playing in defence at times.

That would probably be it. Olivier Giroud played well and worked very hard on Tuesday – at one point he was making tackles at left back – but until Wenger signs a striker of Thierry Henry’s calibre, people will continue to complain about Giroud.

If Arsenal are going to reach Barcelona’s level, they must look to sign better players.

Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud pictured after having his shot saved against Barcelona

13:33

What do you make of Oxlade-Chamberlain? Has he progressed since signing for Arsenal?

We saw an improvement in his defensive game on Tuesday, and this has been long overdue. He has a habit of standing and admiring his work after playing a good pass and firing a shot on goal – he is often slow to move back into position as the game moves on around him. There’s no doubt about the explosion he shows when he’s on the ball, but he needs to keep working on his game when he’s out of possession.

He will be very disappointed to have picked up another injury – and he’s been very unlucky in this regard during his time at Arsenal – but I think he could have avoided one on Tuesday. The way he ran down the right as Arsenal broke reminded me of a young pup in a field – he was running wildly and was out of control.

When you watch Neymar run with the ball, for example, there is a composure and swagger about him. He in complete control, while Oxlade-Chamberlain was running like he was desperate to prove he was good enough, to repay Wenger’s vote of confidence.

Arsenal's Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain pictured as he got injured against Barcelona

13:22

Do you think there is a bit of naivety in the arsenal team?

Now that the dust has settled, we can take a step back and admit that Barcelona were simply the better team on Tuesday night. For one of the first times I can remember, Arsene Wenger’s side were prepared to defend for long periods, but even then Barcelona found a way through.

From the first day you arrive at Arsenal’s training ground, you can see that Wenger’s philosophy is all about progressive football. It’s all about what you do with the ball, not without it. But for long periods on Tuesday, this was as well as I’ve seen them defend as a team. Though they came undone in the second half and I believe the loss of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain played a big part in that.

With Alexis Sanchez on one wing, the other wide man must be a midfielder who can play out wide – rather than an out-and-out winger. In 1998, we had Overmars on one side and on the other was Ray Parlour, who was an excellent attacker but equally equipped to tuck in and help the midfielders out.

I think Oxlade-Chamberlain did this well against Barcelona, and when he was substituted they stepped it up a gear.

If you’ve played the game at a high level, you’ll understand that when you’re trying to regain possession you play in a frantic, scrambled way, but as soon as you win the ball back to have to press a button in your head to regain your composure so you can pick out a pass and keep possession.

Barcelona try to leave you in the same panicky state of mind after you get the ball by pressing very aggressively – they make you feel like you’re in a washing machine and all of a sudden you can’t even make a five-yard pass. Your brain is scrambled and it becomes more and more difficult to press the button in your head as the game goes on and you become more fatigued.

Even Mesut Ozil was struggling to find his radar, and when Barcelona’s forwards win the ball back they’re like assassins. Wenger was quite scathing in his criticism of Arsenal’s performance, saying they didn’t pass the ball well enough, but that is just what Barcelona do to you.

It will be really interesting to see how they respond to their defeat by Arsenal. They have so many high-octane players, can Claudio Ranieri keep the pot boiling and keep their title charge going?

The north London derby will be well-timed for them. At least one of their direct title rivals is going to drop points next weekend, and they need to take advantage of moments like this if they are to remain at the top of the table. But this will be easier said than done, as many of the so-called lesser teams will see Leicester as the team to beat now.

On our way to winning the league in 1998, Arsenal played a Derby side managed by Jim Smith – who was a big mate of Alex Ferguson’s. It felt like his side played twice as hard as usual that day, and trying to get through their defence was like trying to open a can of beans with a spoon! Eventually me managed it, thanks to Manu Petit’s 30-yard drive, and it certainly felt like we had earned those three points.

Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri is trying to guide his team towards the title

13:03

Can you see City’s season gathering momentum after their result in Kiev?

I can. They have faltered in recent weeks and they needed this lift. They’ve got back-to-back matches against Liverpool coming up, one of which is the Capital One Cup final, and both teams will go into the match having played in Europe.

With Jurgen Klopp’s side playing tonight, you would expect City to be at an advantage having had an extra day’s recovery. But the trip to Kiev is so brutal that it will have taken a lot more out of them than usual.

I remember when I was flying to Kiev in the Champions League with Arsenal as a rookie, looking around on the plane thinking: ‘Where’s Marc Overmars?’ I sat on the flight for four hours wondering then got to the hotel and soon realised why he hadn’t made the trip! It turned out he had athlete’s foot – which I’m sure is true – but I suspect his previous experiences of eastern Europe might have played a part in his absence.

Manuel Pellegrini will be desperate for his side to lift the Capital One Cup, as it will be his last trip to Wembley with the club, and being in a good position in the Champions League I feel they might be better off forgetting about the Premier League for the time being. By the time they play their next league game they could be nine points off top spot, and if they get too caught up in looking at the gap they will feel like they’re playing catch up the whole time. If they put a good run together in the cups, their league form should follow suit.

Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini pictured in Kiev during their 3-1 win

13:02

What did you make of Manchester City’s performance against Dynamo Kiev?

I was very impressed by City, and they really needed a performance like that to demonstrate that they’re back in winning ways. They applied themselves much better than they have done on many occasions this season – it’s criminal that they haven’t done so more often.

Sergio Aguero was, once again, very good. I’d put him just below that top tier of Barcelona and Real Madrid forwards at the moment – he’s that good and that important to City. He took his goal really well last night – he shaped his chest so as to sweep the ball perfectly on to his right foot, putting him in the best position to finish off the chance. He made it look easy, but it wasn’t a simple opportunity.

I know they couldn’t keep a clean sheet, but I was nevertheless impressed with City defensively. The message given to the centre halves was obviously to not allow the ball into Dynamo’s front players, and they made sure they hardly had a sniff with a host of crunching tackles and interceptions. The no-nonsense approach was very effective. Having Vincent Kompany back is obviously a huge and timely boost, and his presence makes Nicolas Otamendi look a much better player.

The central midfield of Yaya Toure, Fernando and Fernandinho were vital to City’s win, too. I’ve played in that stadium before and let me tell you, the atmosphere can be extremely intimidating. That trio did the perfect job of quietening down the home side – and subsequently, the fans – in the first half and took their lead from Kompany and Otamendi with regards to nailing their challenges.

As good as City were, it’s important not to forget that Dynamo hadn’t played a competitive match since their last Champions League game in November. It’s impossible to come straight into such a high-pressure game when you haven’t played for so long.

It’s usually the same story with the Russian and Ukrainian clubs – before the winter break you have them down to win the whole thing! You don’t want to play them in the group stages as they’re at the peak of their season – they want to go into the break on a high note - while Premier League teams are just getting started before the hectic Christmas period. But the winter break seriously curtails any chance the eastern European teams have of doing well in the knock-out rounds as they’ve essentially been on holiday for a few months and are well off the pace.